FAQs

the snowdome foundation

Formed in 2010, the Snowdome Foundation is dedicated to improving outcomes for Australians with blood cancer by focusing government, corporate and private philanthropic investment into fast-tracking human clinical trials of next-generation drugs and therapies, including epigenetics treatments. No other Australian organisation has this sole focus across all types of blood cancer.

For Australians with blood cancer, clinical trials with next generation treatments give hope when there are no other options. This is our inspiration and the driver behind the Snowdome Foundation’s mission to accelerate new treatments to Australian blood cancer patients to help them live longer, better lives.

Since 2010, the Snowdome Foundation has been working hard to raise funds and direct them towards achieving our mission. To date, we have secured and directed over $7million. With these funds, we have made available critical infrastructure for eight clinical trials which have already delivered new treatments to 159 Australian blood cancer patients.

These trials will eventually recruit a total of 375 people and are estimated to reach full participation by 2018. This is just the start of where we want to head, but we are well ahead of our 5 year goal of directing $7.5million to fund new trials.

From 2014, the Snowdome Foundation is working to support other collaborations for blood cancer research that ensure patients gain access to blood cancer treatments more rapidly. We will be updating this progress in our News section on the website as more details are finalised.

The Snowdome Foundation is dedicated to all who have suffered blood cancers, those who have survived and those who have lost the cruelest of battles. Nine year old Chloe Rutherford was unfortunately one who didn’t make it and the Foundation is named after her love of snowdomes. Chloe’s father, Grant Rutherford, is a co-founder of the Snowdome Foundation.

Blood cancers are common genetic diseases, but not in the sense that they are conditions you inherit from your parents. Rather, blood cancers are caused by genes that suddenly decide to switch off or send confused messages to the cells that they control.

Blood cancers – leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma – are the third highest cause of death from cancer in Australia. Many adult and some childhood blood cancers are still unable to be successfully treated and, regrettably, Australia is leading the world in the growth of new diagnoses.

Epigenetics is a science at the very edge of our understanding of how life works. Essentially, it’s the study of what switches cancer cells on and off. Epigenetic treatments work by a combination of targeting the ‘instruction manual’ of the cell and boosting the immune system’s capacity to fight the cancer.

If we can fix that epigenome, we can attack blood cancers at their source, by developing epigenetic drugs and therapies that reprogram the epigenome and rehabilitate the rogue cells.

In 2009 the first epigenetic therapies were approved for three sub-types of blood cancers by drug regulatory agencies around the world. The challenge now is to discover for which other blood cancers it can improve outcomes and for whom these drugs are most suited.

What works spectacularly well in one person with blood cancer can fail in another. But soon, we hope to discover how to predict an individual’s response to treatments based on their genetic makeup, resulting in treatments that are less toxic and destructive and more intelligent, targeted and effective.

Donations to Snowdome are tax deductible. To make VISA and MasterCard payments, please go to the Donate section and input the required information. You will automatically receive a tax-deductible receipt via email.

Note that if you are outside Australia, or if your VISA or Mastercard was issued outside Australia, you may experience difficulties. Please email [email protected] to make alternate arrangements.

If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation by cheque, please make it payable to ‘Snowdome Limited ATF the Snowdome Foundation’ and please post it to: CEO, Snowdome Foundation, Suite 4, 209 Toorak Road, South Yarra Vic 3141. Please include your name and mailing address so we can send your tax deductible receipt.

If you prefer to make a direct debit donation*, please see the following details:

Account name: Snowdome Limited as Trustee of the Snowdome Foundation
BSB: 083-028
Account no: 1878 39606
Please include: your full name/business name in payer ID / reference number
* Please email [email protected] to advise us of your donation via direct deposit. This will enable us to send you a tax deductible receipt without delay.

DGR Type 2 organisations are able donate to a DGR Type 1 organisation with whom Snowdome has a quarantined cost centre via a Memorandum of Understanding. This allows Snowdome to direct the funding to Snowdome prioritised projects. Please contact [email protected] if you would like more information.

the great shake-up

To educate about blood cancers and raise funds to accelerate treatments for Australian blood cancer patients to help them live longer, better lives.

We aim to raise $1million+ for the Snowdome Foundation from meeting room registrations, auction items and donations.

This is the third year of the event. In 2013 and 2014, over 100 meeting rooms participated and $2 million was raised from registrations and subsequent donations. We estimate over 2,000 people learned about the urgent need for blood cancer research.

The event is virtual – streamed live via the internet from AFL Media’s studios into meeting rooms so that corporate Australia can attend the one-hour event without guests having to leave their office. The ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2013 was Australia’s first ‘virtual’ fundraising event and we are delighted to be doing it all again in 2015.

Companies register at www.snowdome.org.au and pay $2000 per meeting room. Each meeting room can have as many guests as can comfortably fit into the room.

Upon registration, each meeting room will be issued with a unique password to access the live stream on Thursday 8 October, 2015. The event will start at noon sharp and conclude at 1pm. It is expected that meeting room hosts will provide an informal lunch for their guests. There will also be a live auction of a handful of premium items running during the event.

After registering, you will be emailed a receipt. Please note, in line with ATO rulings, a small portion ($23/meeting room) that equates to the market value of the event will not be tax deductible for individuals. For clarification, please contact your personal accountant.

You/your company can use the ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015 to benefit your staff although some are inviting key clients to share the experience with them. Several plan to provide a sandwich or bbq lunch before the program begins and to make this a team building exercise. Others are including staff members who deserve recognition or reward for a range of reasons or as a show of their support for staff members who have been personally affected by blood cancers.

Registering for the ‘Great Shake-Up’ is an excellent way for your company to demonstrate their active involvement on behalf of a worthy and important community cause.

Most participants will watch the event from a big screen but it can also be viewed from a laptop or desktop computer.

A fun, engaging and interactive hour of infotainment – informative, thought provoking and entertaining. Guests will be provided with the opportunity to learn more about clinical trials and the reasons why new cutting-edge research and treatments are so vital to blood cancers. The event will be hosted by Hamish McLachlan and streamed live from AFL Media – virtual participants will have the opportunity to communicate via social media and the event will also cross live to a few boardrooms. Be sure to register for this exciting virtual event!

Each registration costs $2,000 and entitles you to one web access to the Snowdome Foundation’s ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015 event. It is up to you whether you fill a meeting room or a theatrette. In fact, the event can be viewed from just about any large screen, laptop or desktop computer anywhere. An internet connection is all that is needed. (Please check our specifications sheet for your optimal viewing. This is available on our Great Shake-Up page and will be emailed to you after registering).

The Snowdome Foundation’s ‘Great Shake-Up’ is designed to raise much needed funds for blood cancer research. These funds are urgently needed to find new treatments for blood cancer in Australia. Blood cancer is the 3rd highest cause of death from cancer in this country and there are 11,500 new diagnoses of leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and blood related disorders each year. The money raised by the ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015 will support Australian clinicians and researchers working on next generation treatments. Their work ensures blood cancer patients get access to new therapies long before they otherwise would.

Most of the companies we have spoken to have supported the ‘Great Shake-Up’ because they recognise this event as a great opportunity to support a cause while also involving staff and clients and learn about the urgent need for blood cancer research in Australia.

They want to join with other corporates to make a meaningful contribution to the fight against blood cancers.

The Snowdome Foundation is also promoting the commitment of these organisations on the website and in select advertisements.

At 10:00am AEST, we encourage you to login to the ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015 event to test and ensure your connection is working optimally. To login, you simply need to follow the instructions sent to you and enter your personalised username and password. We recommend testing your connection at the two live video testing dates at the end of September and early October.

At 11.45pm, we suggest your guests or staff arrive so that they can get comfortable prior to the noon start time. This is a great time to provide a small lunch or encourage people to sign up for bidding on the Auction items.

At noon the ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015 will commence live on your boardroom screen and you can also participate via an interactive twitter feed.

The Snowdome Foundation’s ‘Great Shake-Up’ can be viewed from just about any laptop or desktop computer. It is up to you whether you fill a meeting room, theaterette or watch it on your laptop screen. You just need an internet connection. (Please check our specifications sheet for your optimal viewing. This is available on our Great Shake-Up page and will be emailed to you after registering).

Several people we’ve spoken to are planning to hold this event in a location outside of the office, eg. restaurant, club room. All you need is an internet connection with a minimum of 2000kbps download speed. Enjoy the ‘Great Shake-Up’ virtual fundraising event with friends, family or work colleagues. Don’t miss this exciting, innovative and thought provoking event!

You do not have to have a boardroom or meeting room, you only need an internet connection. You can use a staff room, meeting room or even your laptop within your office or home. Just make sure you register as you will not want to miss Australia’s virtual fundraising event!

We are encouraging all participants to test their connection to the event. There will be two pre-event live video testing sessions scheduled for September and October. Please participate in one of these sessions. You do not need to book a time.

There is also a Troubleshooting Guide that explains how to optimise your viewing experience. This guide will be emailed with your personalised login information.

If you experience any difficulty after following this information, please contact [email protected].

If you have any questions about the Snowdome Foundation’s ‘Great Shake-Up’ 2015, we would be delighted to assist you. Please contact us at [email protected] and we will respond as promptly as possible.

You can assist the Snowdome Foundation to find new treatments for blood cancer in Australia by making a tax deductible donation. You can send a cheque, direct transfer or use a credit card. Credit card payments can be made via our Donate page. Please contact the Snowdome Foundation at [email protected] if you require more information.

The Snowdome Foundation would like to thank those companies that have shown their support for the ‘Great Shake-Up’. A listing of companies who have signed up for the 2014 event (and wish to be acknowledged) can be seen on our Great Shake-Up page.

We have several tools to ensure your viewing experience is optimised. After registering, we will provide a Troubleshooting Guide with your personalised login information. Please share this with your IT department.

There will be two pre-event live video test dates. We encourage you to test your connection then. If you experience any difficulty or have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

On Thursday 8 October, please login by 10:00am. If you encounter any issues, please contact us and we will assist you as promptly as possible.

Yes. You can assist the Snowdome Foundation to find new treatments for blood cancers in Australia by making a tax deductible donation. You can use a credit card via the Donate page on our website. Alternatively, you can send a cheque or make a direct transfer to our bank account. Please contact the Snowdome Foundation at [email protected] for more information.